COLLECTION
Young Peasant Woman
1920

Arkhipov painted many peasant scenes, but the present portrait of a Russian peasant woman is among his most impressive works. This portrait of a young woman bathed in sunshine reveals the artist's interest in the effects of light and the vibrant colours of the traditional Russian costume. The woman seems at ease in front of his easel and it is a testament to Arkipov's talent as a portraitist that each of the portraits of his peasant women have a strong sense of individuality and a unique presence.

Similar to other works by Arkhipov from the 1910s and 1920s, the present painting reveals Arkhipov's sense of optimism as well as his ability to capture the energy of his sitters with his thick impasto and lively brushstrokes. Arkhipov's works from this period are frequently characterised with sweeping, loose brushwork and a vibrant palette of reds and pinks.


TECHNIQUE

Oil on canvas

MEASUREMENTS

125cm x 95cm

Abram Arkhipov
1862 - 1930

Arkhipov was a Russian Realist painter. He was a member of the Wanderers as well as the Union of Russian Artists.

He initially studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1877 and subsequently studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. He soon became dissatisfied with the Academy's system of teaching and returned to Moscow, where he would later spend many years as a teacher at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.

In 1889 he joined the Wanderers (Peredvizhniki), an exhibiting society of Russian artists committed to art's potential to serve a social function. He focused his talents on depicting Russian peasant men and women of the Ryazan Gubernia and the Nizhny Novgorod region.